Interlude I: The Lovers


Do you know what they call people unwilling to accept truth? Fools. That's what they are.

After all, things can't change if one simply decides to blind their eyes with wool, thus preventing them from seeing the truth and acknowledge it as it is. Even if they remain stagnant, the world will continue to move on, unable to stop just for a few indolent individuals.

And for a girl born into the world known as Suguha Kirigaya, she was definitely not a fool.

Anyone could have harboured a guess as to what she knew of, but it was personal, so only she herself knew what sort of pain she was forced to experience all her life.

Her brother may be the cause of it, but she could never blame him for it.

It's an odd story, she'll have to admit. Countless times she had tried rewinding key events and memories in her mind to remember just what had gone wrong in their time spent together, yet she could never properly ascertain the cause of the rift between them. There was no animosity, no real hatred, just… distance. Quiet.

It never felt right to her, of course, and she had simply chalked it up to older siblings getting tired of their younger sibling over time. She had thought that it was true, at first, but the way he acted around her, the way he seemed more… quiet, almost unnaturally so, had worried her to no end.

For years, she has had to deal with the lack of communication between themselves. Of course, when things came to it, of course they'd talk. But there was just this silent hesitation in him that she could sense from a mile away.

It wasn't just with her, either. He seemed less talkative with each passing year, and she could tell that he hardly wants to go to school either. He does make the effort to do work around the house, and even offers to take over chores most of the time, but she could tell that he does it mostly to get some alone time rather than trying to be nice.

Such was how it has been for almost four years. Has it been four years? Maybe more, maybe less—but she knows that she would do anything to have her older brother back…

She didn't know that things were about to change very, very soon.


Night Time—5th September 2022—Kawagoe, Saitama. Kirigaya Household

*Thud..!*

"K-Kazuto!"

"Onii-chan!"

And she most certainly would have been afraid that he'd continue being this distant. Until today, it seems.

She couldn't have possibly seen it coming. All that really was out of the normal today ever since he came back from buying the groceries was how he seemed less attentive, more lost in thoughts than usual and genuinely more… calmer, for a lack of a better word. He didn't seem so distant, not so much as usual, but he always had his head up in the clouds.

Seeing him accidentally hit his head on the table was more than enough to set her little sister bells ringing out of concern.

A lot of things could have been the cause for his lack of attention. Perhaps someone at school was bullying him? Maybe he had an assignment that he had to complete and he only remembered it now, and that he wasn't able to do it because he had to buy the groceries? Or was she just overthinking it?

Truly, no amount of years could have possibly prepared her for what she was about to hear.

"Just…" He began with a weak tone, uncertainty and hesitation clearly showing in just his body movement. "It's a girl."

…What?

"A… girl..?"

"Girl? Wait, really Kazuto?"

There were a lot of things that she knew about her brother. More than anyone else do, at least.

He was someone really brave, that much she knew for sure. He had saved her when she was little, after all, having prevented her from drowning in the small pond in the back of their home.

He wasn't very talkative. That showed really well considering the type of person that he is; reserved, quiet, and generally meek. Not like he wasn't confident, it's just that he doesn't talk a lot.

He was really intelligent, smartest in the family even. He had built that computer of his when he was, what? Ten? That's not something anyone could do, and she certainly can't help but imagine how he performs in school.

But there's one thing that's definitive about the boy. And it's the fact that he wasn't good with girls.

Sure, that may sound a little mean on her part, but it's true! Kazuto has no real female friends (as far as she can tell, anyways), be it in school or anywhere else, really. He made it really clear one time that he wasn't interested in anyone, which was both kind of worrying but also strangely relieving.

All her life, she's never seen or heard him talk about a girl.

And it seems that such a streak was going to end up breaking in the end.

"U-Umm, right. It's something like that. Well, it's more complicated, but… the thing is, just a few days ago, I met this girl," he began with a tone that sounded more confounded than adoring. "She wanted to talk to me about something, but about what, I'm not certain. I don't even know who she is! And… something about her is just wrong. I'm not exactly certain if I even want to talk to her, but… yeah."

Judging by how he phrased this mysterious girl, it was enough to spark anxiety in the girl. Kazuto isn't one to be worried about a lot of things, so for him to actually be worried about a girl of all things can only mean one thing.

She must be bad news.

"She said that she'd be meeting me again at a future date, but she hadn't given me her contact information and I hadn't done anything, so…" He trailed off right after, uncertain of how to continue.

Yeah, that was more than suspicious. No one in the world would not share their contact info with someone else if they were going to meet that person. It just made no sense!

Now that she thought about it, he didn't mention him finding her, but the opposite, wasn't it? And they didn't know each other beforehand, so if she managed to find him and correctly identify him as Kazuto, could that mean…

'No..!' She gasped in her head, her heart palpitating behind her ribcage. 'Is she a stalker..?!'

This is bad! If there's a stalker that's been trailing after her brother all this time, only to then show herself up now… there was two ways this could all go down! Well, three if she was really being pessimistic, but for the sake of her own sanity, she would settle on two things.

One; the mysterious girl is probably going to seduce him into taking her out for a date. She's watched it in that one ecchi anime (no one must know, it was an accident she swore!); black hair, cute face. Only difference now is the attitude, but the girl is definitely going to drag him around to places before finally killing him during sunset!

Two; she was attempting to rope him into doing something insane, which she could definitely picture happening. What could it be? Drug dealing? People trafficking? Organs selling? The potential is limitless, and she feared the dangers her brother would be putting himself in.

"…I see," her mother was calmer than she was, which was a given; she's just that amazing. "Well… maybe you just need to think about her and she might come out of nowhere?"

In that moment, Suguha couldn't help but facepalm, her mother chuckling in slight amusement. Of course she'd choose to make a joke like that, no matter how dumb or impossible it sounds. She probably got that from one of her drama shows.

Unfortunately for the both of them, however…

"Think about her and she might come, huh..?" His words were quick to draw the two women's attention, both of them staring at him as if he had grown a second head because—is he actually considering it? No way, he actually is! "Alright, I'll do just that then. Thanks, mom!"

Suguha smiles immediately. Smiles because she would never want to be mean towards her own brother and because she was just too shellshocked to actually know or do anything.

Even her own mother was at a loss for words. Neither of them thought he'd actually take that seriously.

"Eh? O-Oh, sure," the both of them wanted, so dearly wanted to tell Kazuto that such a thing was just impossible. And yet, with how glad he looked, with that wide smile and determined look he had, none of them had the heart to do so. "No problem."

He takes his leave immediately after, and the course of actions is forever changed for years to come.


7th September 2022—Kawagoe, Saitama. Kirigaya Household

Step forwards, swing down.

Step back and raise it back up. Then swing it back down, faster.

Kendo wasn't just a way to protect oneself with a sword. It was an art, one that needed much effort in understanding, and she appreciated the years her grandfather had taken to teach her the inns and outs of kendo, and it clearly showed in her movement—sharp, focused and strong.

She swings her bokken down quickly, one final move before she lets the tension leave her muscles.

Stick to the routines and nothing less. That's how it's been for the girl, even if it was kind of weird to be doing it alone. Then again, she didn't mind it whatsoever.

"Hmm… Wonder when Onii-chan's coming back," she spoke to herself as she grabbed a towel, wiping her neck that had a thin layer of sweat on it. She doubted she could do anything about her obi, which was already drenched in sweat. "He'd better be safe."

Suguha loved her brother. She really did, which was why she really cared about his safety; he literally left on his lonesome. Had he asked, she would have not hesitated to join him! And it's because she loved him that she would never tell him off about what sort of friends he should be allowed to make.

He can take care of himself. Years of growing up with him had been enough to tell her that, but she just can't help but worry about him sometimes.

"Hmm?" She notices movement out of the corner of her eyes, and spots black hair. 'Oh, Onii-chan's home? Was the trip cancelled, or did she get back home already?'

If it was the former, it's probably because he didn't want to go or because she's busy.

Either way, it wasn't like she was going to complain about that.

"Onii-chan, you're home already?" She called out as she walked over to the gates. "You got back pretty fa… Eh?"

"Ah, you must be Kazuto's sister," she had expected a lot of things, but a pretty girl was not on the list! "A pleasure to make your acquaintance. I am Persona Vabel, a friend of your brother."

Persona Vabel? Who names their children that? And why is she so polite?

She looks to her brother, and notices the wide-eyed look he was sending his 'friend's' way. "…Suguha Kirigaya, his sister."

What is even happening?


"Ah, so you're Kazuto's friend! Nice to meet you, Vabel. I'm Midori, but you can just call me Auntie, yeah?"

"Of course, Auntie."

Vabel… What a strange name for a clearly Japanese-looking girl like herself. Suguha will never admit it, obviously, but the girl's immaculate. Silky black hair, porcelain-like skin, noble's posture and gentle voice—she has the makings of a perfect girl, to the point that it genuinely scares her, really.

She knows the existence of few individuals who are just perfect, but she's never actually met them. So for her to actually meet one face-to-face like right now is leaving her a nervous wreck.

Still, she's either a rock or a wall, no offense, because she doesn't react a lot to anything. With how calm she is, she could make a still lake be ashamed.

'Weird… Just weird,' she thought to herself, passing a cup of tea to Kazuto, who gingerly accepts it with a small 'thank you'. She accepts her own cup and blows onto the edge of her cup, trying to get the liquid to cool down a little before taking a sip—nope. Too hot.

With how awkward Kazuto looked, he probably didn't even invite Vabel home. She must have come here without his permission! Worse, she might have followed him from behind without him realizing it! And she knew that must be the case because he looked shocked when he looked at her, as if he didn't expect her to be there. The suspicion piles on.

"So… you and Kazuto are going to work together for a project?" Her mother asks after a while. "What sort?"

"Something important yet confidential," she was just evading her question! "The reason why I've come here is because I intend to immediately educate Kazuto pertaining to our project."

"Huh?" Kazuto is surprised yet again, blinking, and his sister swears that this is the most amount of emotion that she's ever seen from him in… ever! "Wait, what? What do I need to know?"

The older girl pulls out a stack of cards from her handbag, setting it on the table. Suguha cocked a brow. "Cards? You're… going to play a game together? Are you joining a competition, Onii-chan?"

Well, that's a little odd. Why go the trouble of stalking her brother (she genuinely hopes that Vabel didn't stalk her brother. She doesn't want to think the worst of anyone, but she makes it really hard to trust her) just to ask him to participate in a cards game?

Actually, now that she got a better look on the cards… What are those pictures? She could make out a picture of some guy looking jolly as he stood before the edge of a cliff, with a dog right behind him.

"Not the typical playing cards that you're accustomed to, Suguha, I can assure you that. Rather, these are—"

"Tarot cards…"

Suguha looks to her brother. So he knows what these are? Tarot cards, huh? She's never heard of those type of cards ever.

Let's see… Blackjack, poker, Uno… Yeah, not ringing a bell.

Vabel spreads the cards across the table and flips them to reveal the pictures on their faces. Each card had a picture and a number, along with a title at the very bottom.

'«The… Fool»?' She read the name of the very first card in her mind, quickly scanning through each card before settling on the very last one. '«The World». Jeez, who named these cards? Gotta' say, they sound pretty cool though…'

When her brother asked about the cards' usage in games, something that she had thought of earlier as well, the other girl opts to shake her head. "Not necessarily. They're mostly prominent in divinations and predictions, though there are several games that make use of tarot cards. What you see here now are the 22 Major Arcana of the tarot cards. The trump cards without suits. They will play a vital role in our project, Kazuto."

Project. What an odd choice of word.

So far, she hasn't made herself seem like a dangerous gal, so she could safely rule out the earlier possibilities of her wanting to kill him or get him to join her gang or something. Still, it's weird that this 'project' required him to study… these.

"That so, huh..?" Crossing his arms, Kazuto's brows furrow in concentration, his facial expression indicating that he was thinking. "Okay. From what Igor showed earlier, each card holds a significant meaning. «The Tower» meant doom, while «Death» was quite literal. There's twenty-two cards here, so that must mean each one has their own meaning, huh?"

Igor? As in, the Igor from Frankenstein's Monster? What is up with all these people with weird names that her brother's meeting?

The person better not be hunched back, she swore.

"Indeed. While it isn't compulsory for you to memorize the meanings of all twenty-two cards, which would technically be forty-four meanings as the cards could either be upright or reversed, thus projecting two separate meanings for each card," Suguha gulps, silently relieved that her brother wouldn't have to trouble himself with something like that. "Simply understanding the basics behind each card and how it might just define a person will indeed assist you in the future."

"I see… Is there anything else that's important that I should know of?"

"Not at all."

"Uhhh…"

She couldn't help it. With everything jumbled in her mind and too many words being spat out, her brain eventually crashed from the overload of information and she was left reeling in shock from everything, now on reboot mode.

How is her brother handling all of this so well?


8th September 2022—Kawagoe, Saitama. Kawagoe City Central Library

Kazuto doesn't really like going out a lot. Not ever a few years ago, by which he preferred just staying inside his room. He does come out to eat and take a shower, but other than that, he really doesn't like leaving his room.

So it was a surprise when he suddenly invited her out to a library.

Not the most ideal place to hang out and whatever, considering that he wanted to do some reading on those cards thing (Vabel actually gave him her deck), but he actually wanted her to come along! Who was she to say no?

"So, you know where we're going?"

"Umm… somewhere around the corner, I think."

Well, that's fine. As they are, simply walking together while chatting whenever they could, she really liked it. He wasn't much for conversation, but that wasn't really a bad thing. And he looked particularly happy with the state of things, so she'll take it.

"Damn, everything doesn't look so familiar anymore… I seriously need to go outside a lot more," he says to no one in particular.

"And if it makes you comfortable, you can just ask me to join you anytime!" She offers with a wide smile, which gets him to smile back.

The Kirigaya siblings reach their destination after some time moving through crowds of people, and she has to agree with her brother on how odd that there's so many people here. Well, just as there are the busier parts of Japan, there's also the more quiet regions of the country.

Maybe they could visit the countryside someday, just to have a taste of how different it is compared to the cities.

Oh, wait! They did go to the countryside once. She distinctly remember it to be four years ago, when Kazuto planted a Salvia. She wasn't sure what for, but it made him happy.

"Gotta' be quiet," she heard her brother whisper to her, prompting her to nod back in understanding. "Okay, let's go find a place to sit."

There was a shockingly large number of people in here too. Some doing work, some quietly chatting with one another, some conducting research—but there were no places to sit. How were they going to…

"Huh?" She noticed something in a particular shelf, dusty. She grabs the book and blows on it a little, only for her eyes to go wide. "Oh! Onii-chan can use this!" She quickly returns to her brother's side, revealing the large tome to him. "Ta-dah..!"

He squints his eyes a little to read the title, a small hum released. "Ooh, The World of the Arcana, the Complete Dictionary. Not bad, sis."

When he's done so, his hand reflexively goes to pat her on the head, and the girl is initially startled by this sudden gesture. It doesn't take too long before she relaxes into his hand, enjoying how it felt as she stifled a few giggles.

Immediately after, the siblings attempted to find a place to sit, though with a bit of difficulty. With too many people around here, it made sense that most spots were filled, so a small part of her dreaded the fact that they'd need to stand and read.

Thankfully, however, her brother had found a place.

Unfortunately, there was someone else there.

And it had to be a girl.

'What is his luck with women?!'

"Umm, excuse me."

While he spoke to the girl sitting at the table and requested that they sit there, Suguha was mentally reeling from the fact that it's another pretty girl that her brother somehow manages to stumble upon. Granted, Vabel was the one who found him, but this is getting ridiculous!

Maybe she's just crazy, but things always go this way; it starts off with a few girls, but sooner or later, the boy ends up meeting way too many girls in his life and crazier things start happening. And she wasn't sure how to handle that!

Besides, she knew how dangerous (to his life) her brother's charms could be. First, a girl might fall in love with him, and then more girls will start to fall for him. And then, they might start fighting amongst one another for his attention and he would have to do something just to stop these crazy people.

She didn't know how right she would be in the future.

"Thanks."

"Err… thank you."

Still, she knew she couldn't outright hate any random stranger. Maybe this person was just that; a stranger to them, and they wouldn't ever meet her in the future. So she simply sat down opposite of the rich-looking girl with her brother, opening up the large book that she grabbed from earlier.

Well, whatever. She's here because she's hanging out with her brother, and that's the important thing!

Tarot cards. Strange things meant to be used in divinations, which is to predict something or to understand someone better. Maybe she's simplifying it a little too much, but the book hints towards this as well; either to dictate yourself, another person or an event.

She has to admit, this is much more fascinating than she gave it credit. But it's still odd that her brother has to learn all of this. And knowing him, he'd probably try to memorize all of their meanings.

"For example… This isn't «The Fool», but anyways. A priest is a symbol of purity, yeah? He places his faith in his god and the light. But mere blind faith is wrong too, and that can lead you to a certain ruin," he pondered on the subject with a thoughtful tone, his sister impressed by his wisdom.

"Whoa… That's interesting."

"Definitely. Wait, what?"

The two siblings look across where they were sitting, to where the original occupant of this table was sitting. The girl looked like a deer in the headlights, promptly snapping her hand over to her mouth.

"S-Sorry," she muttered, bowing her head a little. "I-I didn't mean to bother you..!"

Yeesh, talk about polite. It's almost scary how Kazuto keeps finding all these nice girls. And of course, he has to be nice too. "No, no. It's fine, really. Trust me, even I'm curious about what this stuff's all about."

Their conversation and research continues as the three learn more about all this Arcana business, even if none of them really make sense at first. Kazuto, most notably, is the one most absorbed in all of this. The other girl, who hadn't introduced herself yet, was just as curious about all of this, sometimes adding her own two cents into the matter.

The girl is «The High Priestess», Sugu's… « The Lovers»… and Kazuto is «The Fool». It probably doesn't mean much, but it certainly does make things entertaining.

"Hmm… Oh, it's time," the rich girl suddenly spoke up when she looked at the clock on the wall. Both siblings follow suit, seeing that it's already afternoon. They've been here for so long, haven't they? "I've piano classes after this. I do apologize for bothering the both of you."

"And again, it's fine. Having you around made things a little more interesting. Plus, we learnt something new about you in the process," the ravenette smiled back, offering the girl his hand. "Kazuto Kirigaya."

"Eh? Oh, Suguha Kirigaya," she quickly added, though with a little infuriation—at what, anyone could have guessed.

"Ah, Asuna Yuuki. A pleasure to meet the both of you, Kazuto-kun, Suguha-chan," she shakes their hands, and Suguha's a little embarrassed with how she was a little stiff when they shook hands. "Well, I should be going. Will the both of you ever be coming here again?"

"Ehh… Maybe, but we can't exactly be too sure," Kazuto pulls out his phone, showing it to the other girl. "How about this, we'll just exchange contact info. Sugu, you too."

"Oh? Got it."

"Very well then."

Exchanging contact information with someone they just met. She's honestly surprised that her brother's that lax enough to trust someone on the first day, though she supposed it's a good thing.

It's still a little annoying that it's a girl, but who cares at this point? Maybe she's just being overly suspicious just because.

Asuna stands up once they've exchanged contact information, bowing. "Once more, it's been a pleasure to meet the both of you. Let's meet again in the future!"

"Yeah, we heard you," Kazuto waves back at her and they watch her leave the library. When she was finally out, he lets out a sigh. Probably overwhelmed with interaction with girls. "Man, we've been in here for so long… Want some ice-cream?"

The moment he said that, her head practically snapped towards him, eyes as wide as platter and stars shining. "Ice-cream?!" He just said ice-cream! He was actually offering to buy her ice-cream! "Yes please!"

"Haha, fine," bonus; she gets patted on the head! "Let's get out of here. Oh, wait a minute."

He borrows the book, they get ice-cream, and she gets extra time with her big brother. This is the best day ever!

The days to come were just as great.


6th November 2022—Kawagoe, Saitama. Kirigaya Household

'Sword Art Online'. A VRMMORPG game that caught her brother's attention a few months ago.

To someone such as herself, who doesn't really play a lot of videogames to begin with, it's nothing so noteworthy. But Kazuto really loves videogames. He's wanted to play 'SAO' for so long, and he's determined to play it again once the official service began. It's gone to the point that he's holed himself in his room every day to play it.

And all of that changes. How?

Some girl shows up in his life and manages to get him less addicted to the game.

Yeah, that's an oversimplification of the situation, but that's literally the truth! It's odd how they become friends and he somehow… changes. It's not such a drastic change, but he feels different.

She could tell. He's more open, less distant than he used to be, and is generally more talkative than before.

Maybe she's a little annoyed that it's not her who's helped him out of his shell, but she still appreciates Vabel's help. She likes Kazuto as he is much, much more—not like she's trying to say she disliked him from before or anything!

Seriously. Months have passed and they've gotten the chance to bond together for so long. They go out a lot more, to the point that even their mom pointed out to her, which she has to admit she enjoys a lot. She can't even remember when was the last time she had spent a single moment away from him, other than at school, really.

And is it just her, but is he smiling?

'Oh, he is..!' Squealing on the inside by how happy he looked, she just couldn't tear her eyes away from his smile. He looked so handsome! 'Man, any girl would be lucky if they end up with him…'

Her brother isn't perfect. No one in the world is. But he's got a lot of good qualities that could definitely get girls' attention.

He has, after all, somehow became friends with two girls without doing anything! Imagine if he actually put in effort.

It's a little worrisome, really, if he does end up getting a girlfriend. She'd support him, without a doubt, if it made him happy. But she just hopes it doesn't end up making them distant again. She likes how things are right now—she wouldn't know what to do if that ever repeats.

'I'm just surprised that he's taking all of this so well,' she thought, noticing how he's looking off in the distance. She follows his gaze and spots a few kids playing with one another at a park. 'He's really quick to adapt to things, apparently.'

Guess that means that, if anything ever happened, he'll be able to handle it really well.

Maybe that's just too high praise, as some people might point out, but it could be true.

They walk in silence for a little more before her brother spoke up again. "I gotta' ask, Sugu. Are you taking part in any competition in the future?"

"Hmm… Nah, I don't think so. There is a kendo tournament a little ways off, but I kinda' want to skip that one because it's too soon. I want to get some extra training before I join one," she answers in turn.

Kazuto has a confused look on his face right after. "What do you mean? You've been taking your training really seriously all this time. You're a really great fighter. I would know since I've seen you training really seriously a few times."

'O-Onii-chan's watched me training before this?!' The revelation surprises her greatly, almost enough that it makes her trip over feet. It doesn't, however, stop the smile from popping up on her face. 'Heehee, he's impressed!'

"Well, I'm not in the right to tell you to do whatever whenever. I did quit kendo a few years back," he sighs this before rubbing the back of his head, looking at her with an apologetic smile. "Things must've been really difficult for you, huh? Some brother I am."

The mention of such an incident spurs her mind through memory lane; how, one day, a young Kazuto announced how he intended to drop kendo because he lost interest in it.

It came out of nowhere, too. The two children were literally training together with their grandfather before he just said how he didn't want to train anymore.

That was more than enough to spark anger in the old man as he suddenly went on a 'rampage'; scolding the boy to no ends and threatening to hit him with his shinai. Kazuto was too stubborn and stood his ground, and even their grandfather was starting to reach his limit.

And that forced her to do what she had to.

'I'll do it!' She remembered, so clearly, what she had said that day. How she stood before her brother, small and little, but determined all the same. 'I promise I'll do my best for the both of us! Just leave my big brother out of this!'

She remembered how disappointed her grandfather was later on. Kazuto dropped it after some time, of course, because no one could ever stay mad at anyone (unless someone was vengeful enough, which their grandfather thankfully wasn't). Kazuto may not have shown it very well, but he'd been really grateful for what she did.

Two years later, and he became different. He became distant, cold, quiet. And things changed again, and here they stood. Together.

"Don't worry about it, really. It's fine. It's not like it's so difficult," snorted the girl, trying to make light of the situation in an attempt to placate him. "Besides, I really do enjoy kendo, so there's nothing that you need to worry about."

"That so, huh..? I guess I'll have to take your word for it," he sighed again, but this time, he looked a little better.

Smiling back, she makes to ask him something. "Anyways, all of that aside. Onii-chan, you're gonna' play that game of yours later, right?" She remembered that 'SAO's official service should be starting today. "One o' clock, huh..? I've kendo training to get to today, and I don't have a 'Nerve Gear' of my own. Man, this sucks!"

Pouting while her brother laughed, she genuinely felt distraught at not being able to play the game with him. It's bad enough that 'NerveGears' are pretty costly, but she really wants to play 'SAO' with him!

"Haha, don't worry about it. I'll be sure to finish as quickly as I could," he tells her, and she was secretly relieved by this. "I'll prolly' finish around seven in the evening. No, for you, I'll cut it down to six. How's that?"

Six in the evening… That sounded pretty good, and yet…

Her eyes narrowed in a cheeky way as she glanced over to her brother, who repeated the gesture, though with a smirk on his face—he's been doing that a lot these past few weeks, actually.

"Mmm… Five."

"Ooh… You drive a hard bargain, but very well. Five it is."

They were serious for literally five seconds before bursting into laughter. Honestly, people would be calling them silly but it's fun.

These sort of things that they've begun doing together… She will never get tired of them. She knew that from the bottom of her heart.

"Alright, I'll see you at five o' clock, Onii-chan!" She shouts to him as she slung her shinai over her shoulder, waving to her as she began jogging down the road. "Bye!"

He doesn't say anything, but he does wave back. And that smile of his… God, it is difficult not to appreciate such a look!

Training will go by in a flash!


6th November 2022—Suguha's School

School. Is. Such. A. Draaaaaag.

'I can't wait for this to be over…' Thought Suguha to herself as she groaned in her head, unable to handle her teacher's droning as he scribbled some stuff on the blackboard. 'I wanna' go home already…'

It's really odd, to be honest. She never had any trouble just tuning him out—people could call her rude, but she can't help it! It's so boring! The guy's an old man, and not the kind of old man that's really interesting because she does know some old people who are really funny and nice. This one's really grumpy.

But as of late, she's always wanted to get back home really early. Thankfully, taking her bicycle is enough to get her from one place to the next quickly enough.

She knows why; she wants to go hang out with her brother again.

Is that weird? Nah, probably not. There's a lot of siblings who like to spend time together, and such is the case for her.

'I have training today, but I should be able to cut things short…' She thought to herself, resting her chin on her knuckle as she thought about what to do once she gets back home. 'Maybe we can make salad together. Ooh, and there's that one anime that's premiering today! I wanna' watch it with Onii-chan!'

Hmm… Actually, scratch that. If they're going to watch anime together, there should be popcorn. She'll need to buy popcorn. Maybe she could grab some on the way home—

The classroom door was swung open with a force that rivalled a sledgehammer, sending a few students jumping in their seats. A few even fell off altogether, and the teacher's head snapped towards the rude student, a scolding at the ready.

"Suguha-chan! I-I mean, Kirigaya-san!" The girl's head moved to the source of the voice; Nagata Shinichi, her classmate with black hair that looked unkept and small glasses. He just went to the toilet. Why does he look so panicked? "S-Something bad happened! You need to go home already!"

The other students in the classroom started muttering amongst one another in confusion while the girl's stomach formed a pit.

"What're ya' talking about, boy?" Asked the teacher, crossing her arms with a not-so-pleased look on his face. "You're bothering the class."

"I-It's… 'Sword Art Online'! 'SAO', the game that started today!" He sputtered out, all his words like domino. "It's a terrorist attack! I don't know, people suddenly can't log out of the game and are trapped in there! I think three hundred people are already dead! I-I don't know, it happened so fast, and—"

"W-What?" Her voice came out in a gasp, standing up too quickly that it sends her chair falling onto its sorry. "W-What do you mean..?"

" 'Sword Art Online', your brother, home! Go!" He was panicking, she could tell, and he's reached his limit, breaking like a dam and letting everything gush out.

That was the final nail in the coffin that set her loose, causing the girl to rush out of the classroom despite her teacher calling out after her and all the other students panicking.

'Sword Art Online'. He was playing it a while ago, wasn't he? That means he's at home, and if he can't get out..!

'No, no, no..! Please, let me reach him in time..!' She prayed desperately that it was all a joke. Some twisted prank that her brother roped Shinichi into doing just to get her to run. 'Come on..!'

Hastily putting on her shoes, the schoolgirl had all but ignored the bicycle as she raced down the street, uncaring of the countless looks that she was receiving from any passers-by. Even if her calves were beginning to ache from all the running, she poured every strength she had in her into them, willing herself to continue at her pace and accelerate as much as she could, one goal in mind.

Getting back home and get to Kazuto, no matter what.

Five minutes. It felt too long, but by then, her house was already in view and she's left panting and sweating down to her breast that it left her clothes wet. Despite it all, she was prepared to…

"N-No," she muttered, breath leaving her chest cavity as her hands moved to her mouth, eyes reflecting all the fear in her system as her arms trembled. "No..!"

It couldn't be possible. There was just no way. She refused to believe it.

But she wasn't a fool blind to reality, no matter how heart-clenching it was.

Her brother, once so full of life and all smiles, now reduced to an unmoving body being moved out of the house with a gurney by a team of medical professionals, an ambulance stationed right outside. All around the area, yellow police tape meant to keep any suspicious individuals or curious onlookers away from the scene.

And yet, her mind wasn't clear. She had all but ducked beneath the tape and rushed towards her brother, intending to—

"Hey, stop!" The girl yelped as someone grabbed her arm, pulling her away from her brother. Away from her brother—"You can't be here right now! You can clearly see the police tape, right? This is a crime scene!"

"L-Let me go!" She cried out, struggling to free herself from the officer's, shot him a glare. "Let me go, that's my brother over there! I need to get to him!"

"Girl, there's nothing you can do to help him! You'll only make things worse for him!" He shouted back in turn, the authority in his tone matching her stubbornness to break free and get to him. It made things even worse once he wrenched her other hand and forced both arms behind her back, which completely forced her into inaction.

Three seconds. That was all it took for her comatose brother to be inserted into the ambulance, and she broke there and then.

Her brother, someone she loves. A young boy whom she firmly believed had done nothing to deserve this form of punishment, someone whom she finally grew closer to after years' worth of detachment, someone that she's finally started reconnecting with after all these years…

And just like that. Gone.

"No… No! Onii-chan, wake up!" She screamed at the top of her voice, throat becoming hoarse as tears flooded her vision and fell. "Please, wake up! Do-Don't leave me..! Please..!"

Even as the young girl fell to her knees, sobbing and clutching the hem of her skirt incredibly tightly, with the officer awkwardly patting her on the back as a means of comforting her, despite how lame it was, the world continues to move.

And her brother is out of sight a few moments later.


20th November 2022— Kawagoe, Saitama. Chiyoda Hospital

"Suguha-chan… Suguha-chan."

"Nngh… Uh..?"

With someone shaking her by the shoulder, it was certainly enough to rouse her from her slumber, slowly raising her head from where she had planted it on the side of the bed. "Mm, what time is it..?"

"It's six in the evening. You should be getting home soon," there's a small sigh afterwards. "Your parents will be worried. Plus, visitors aren't allowed to stay in here forever, you know."

Suguha lifted her head and stared up to the nurse.

Slim, pretty and kind. Soft brown hair that's tied up in braids. Firm and loving, also professional and intelligent. Nurse Aki Natsuki is in charge over Kazuto and a few other 'SAO' victims here in this hospital, which made her a trustworthy person in Suguha's eyes.

The girl then turned her gaze to her side, no sound escaping her lips.

There, lying peacefully on the bed with a 'NerveGear' over his head, her brother was sleeping. Sleeping would be the wrong way to put it, as in whatever world that he's entered, he most certainly is probably up and about, fighting his way through whatever demons that stand in his and the other players' path. No, he's only unconscious here in the real world.

The start of it all had been two weeks ago. Two weeks. So much time has passed, and there's been no word about their progress. They couldn't know; it wasn't like any of them could hack into the game to spy on their actions. There was nothing that they could do.

She wanted to take it off and just watch him wake up. But she knew that, if she ever thought of attempting that, she would inevitably cause his death. She knew so since the news outlet had already broadcasted the deaths of several players due to their family members taking off their 'NerveGears'.

What a cruel game… Die in-game, die in real life.

The girl was silent, and the nurse simply looked at the two siblings for a while before patting her on the shoulder. "Come now, you just need to have faith in him. You love your brother, right? Then pray for his safety. You can visit any day you'd like, too."

"Yeah… Yeah, I guess I will," feeling a little better, a smile burdened by pain and loneliness made way for a bit of hope. "Thanks, Aki-san. I guess I'll see you tomorrow after school."

"Of course," smiling back, the nurse watched as the schoolgirl stood up and began packing up all her belongings. When she reached the door, she shot her brother one last look—afraid, hopeful—and took her leave.

It was only when she was sure that the girl was far enough from earshot that Aki let out a small sigh, turning off the lights as she paid Kazuto Kirigaya's face one small look as she too left.

Such a young boy. To be dealt such an awful card in his life… What for?

That night, maybe she'll pay the local shrine a visit and pray for all the 'SAO' victims.


20th November 2022—Kawagoe, Saitama. Kirigaya Household

Finally reaching home on her bicycle, the girl lets out a sigh as she got off her bike and makes her way towards her house.

It was cold tonight, and judging by the several puddles of water on the tar road, it must have rained earlier. She's just glad that it isn't raining now, or else she'd be sopping wet.

Entering the house with a small 'I'm home…', she puts away her shoes before moving to the living room—

"Huh? Oh, dad!" Cried out the girl in surprise. "You're home."

"Yeah, I guess I am," sheepishly rubbing the back of his head, the man averted his gaze from his daughter. "Sorry that I couldn't tell you beforehand."

"No, it's fine. In fact, I think I should be sorry," she joins her parents at the couch, taking a seat opposite of them. "I was visiting Kazuto just now. He's… You know how he is."

The parents were quiet at that, simply watching her as she focused her gaze onto her hands. Hands that held his as she waited in the hospital room, waiting for him to wake up.

Both of them had been shocked to hear from a sniffling and tired Suguha one time that their son had been hospitalized, due to the 'NerveGear' having trapped both him and every other user of the device in the game.

Her father hadn't been able to get back home, only offering placating words and such. Her mother quickly returned home and, bless her, had been quick to calm her daughter down with words of assurance and hugs—she knew she must have started crying again because both her face and her mother's shirt was wet again.

They knew just how close she and Kazuto had become after these few weeks. How it started wasn't important, only that they did. Incredibly close, no less.

So for him to suddenly be taken away from her must have equated to a dagger in her heart.

There was silence in the room, only sounds being the family's breathing. It wasn't long before soft pattering could be heard outside, indicating that rain was beginning once more.

Suguha glanced up to her parents, and found severe discomfort etched onto their faces. She wondered what it was before her father had been the first to break this silence. "Sugu, listen. I, umm… Look, there's something that we need to tell you. You deserve to know."

"Huh? What is it?" She asked, straightening in her seat.

"It's… It's about Kazuto," continued her mother, and this time, the girl couldn't stop herself from tensing, a sharp gasp drawn. "We need you to be patient with us, alright? Just… Calm down, and listen to us carefully."

Suguha Kirigaya had thought that she knew everything there was about her brother. She has, after all, grown up with him a part of her life the entire time.

That night, however, her perception was changed forever.

Within the virtual space of Aincrad, a young boy in black tears through the ranks of a monsters with his teammates in tow, looking up to the night sky for a brief moment in time to pray for strength…


Author's Notes:

I'll add these little snippets from time to time, whenever I feel it's necessary. I guess they just add a better look into things, so that's that. Not all of them will be in reality. Sometimes, I'll add a few from other worlds or in 'SAO'. Guess we'll see how it'll be.

And worry not. Everyone is a part of this, so Suguha included will play a part in the story to come. This is obviously an AU (is it necessary to say it? I guess I have to), so things will play differently than they should. After all, based on the wiki, Sugu will be learning about Kazuto's heritage in December, not November.

And there are some misunderstandings that I intend to correct, due to my rather poor explanation, so here's some stuff.

Case in point, to answer reviews from derrickfoo0, Apex85 and SaintInfernalNeos.

No, there won't be any original Persona's. Characters in the story will be receiving their Persona's from the original Persona users. I'll probably be limiting it all to just Persona 3, 4 and 5. So, think of all the Persona users from there; Orpheus to Thanatos to Hermes, to Izanagi to Tomoe to Ariadne, to Arsene and Carmen and Zorro. These Persona's will be showing up, and they'll be the Persona's that our cast will receive. Persona's from Persona 4: Arena Ultimax, Persona 5 Scramle: The Phantom Strikers and enhanced versions of the Persona games will also show up. Ariadne, Valjean, Cendrillon and more.

I'm not original enough to make up Persona's, so yeah. Plus, I kinda' want it to be as authentic as possible, so no other beings from any other worlds will be featured.

I was initially thinking of involving the first two Persona games, along with the movie Persona: Trinity Soul, but I'm not familiar enough with those three that I'll not use them. Just to be safe.

Also, as suggested by derrickfoo0, they won't entirely be the same. I mean to say this in terms of elements and such. Everything can't stay the same, obviously, or else it'll be boring.

This is going to be a bit of a spoiler and probably not a well-liked change, but I need to give an example: Orpheus, in the original game, is weak to «Electricity» and «Curse», and is attuned to the «Fire» element. In this story, however, Orpheus is going to be «Ice»-elemental and weak to «Fire».

I've already made a separate Word document to list down characters and their Persona's, along with the changes. I had actually made all of that and wrote them down before I started writing the actual story, so I guess look forward to that.

Oh, and I'll repeat this again; characters are going to have Arcana's that may not be the same as the original Persona. Again, I'll use Orpheus as an example; Orpheus is of «The Fool» Arcana. His inheritor, however, will be that of «Judgement». Another example is Izanagi, who should also be «The Fool», but I'm making him «The Sun» to fit his inheritor.

Sorry if that's disappointing, but that's how it'll be. They may not make sense and will go against everything that you're used to, but it'll probably be fine—probably (O_O').

Disclaimer: Wiki's the real source of info, got it? Don't take everything from this story seriously!

Also, to Apex85's review back in the second chapter, yes, Gameverse characters will be present. Turns out, there are a lot of Persona users in just the selected games, so that's a bonus. I literally had to keep adding until I could use all of the Persona's from the main cast in the Persona games.

Well, that's that for now! Thanks for reading, and have a good day.